


Exploring the Unknown

by WriteReal



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Politics, Pregnancy, Romance, interspecies pregnancy, somewhere around mid-season 4 but not completely canon-compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:46:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24918568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriteReal/pseuds/WriteReal
Summary: Jonathan Archer still loves being the captain of the Enterprise and his crew is his family. When they are tasked with delivering the newly-minted Federation Andorian Ambassador to Andoria,  Jon finds himself attracted to the strong, career-minded woman that is, in so many ways, his female counterpart. Neither of them or the crew can imagine the far-reaching consequences of this fateful meeting.
Relationships: Jonathan Archer/Original Female Character(s), T'Pol/Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Enterprise fic. I am currently watching season 4, and have not yet watched Through the Mirror, Darkly. I have a feeling I'm not going to like that storyline. 
> 
> Anyway, this is a romance, but it's not just fluff or smut. I've always thought that they did a diservice to Jon by not giving him a long-term partner. He's a pioneer, out there leading the charge, the only child of a legend, married to his career. It can't be easy to find someone to fit into his life, but it's possible. There is so much to mine there, and I've decided to start digging.
> 
> At this point, the rating on this is G, but it may get to Mature or Explicit. There will a warning at the beginning of any chapter that goes there.

Archer stared at the airlock door and stifled a sigh. He didn’t mind ferrying around dignitaries. It was a good opportunity to show of Enterprise and her crew to the Federation diplomats that had such sway over Starfleet. Then he did sigh. Hopefully that Federation he had helped form was going to be a positive partnership with Starfleet. He had already heard rumblings of power struggles, and was glad to be away from it all back aboard his ship.

As the airlock door hissed open he discarded his musings and focused on Ambassador Holcombe. He had viewed her file; Stanford grad, masters in foreign diplomacy, had spent extensive time on both Vulcan and Denobula, had served on several Starfleet advisory committees as a civilian advisor. Now she was the first ambassador to Andoria.

He recognized her from her file photo and the news reports he had read, but he was completely unprepared for the merry twinkle in her eyes or the dimples that pronounced her smile. Wow. Archer automatically smiled in return and stepped forward, his hand outreached.

“Welcome to Enterprise, Ambassador Holcombe. I’m Jonathan Archer.” He gestured to T’Pol and Trip. “My senior staff: Commander T’Pol is my first officer, and Commander Tucker is our chief engineer.”

The Ambassador took Jon’s hand and shook it firmly.

“Thank you for the warm welcome, Captain. I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to ‘hitching a ride’ on your ship.” She turned to T’Pol, offering T’Pol the customary “live long and prosper” welcome to the Vulcan officer who fleetingly looked surprised and returned the gesture. 

Trip shook her hand vigorously and returned her wide smile. “Welcome aboard, Ambassador. If you’d like a tour of the ship, I would be happy to show you around.”

“Call me Rene, please,” she said, including T’Pol and Jon in the request. “As for the tour of the ship, I’m afraid I’m going to press your Captain into that chore.” She looked at Jon who nodded. She returned to Trip, “I would, however, like a detailed tour of your engine room.” Her eyes twinkled. “My younger brother is an engineer, and I have strict instructions to take notes on everything I see.”

Delighted to have someone interested in his engines, Trip beamed at her.

“You say the word, and I’ll talk your ear off.”

“He’s not exaggerating,” Jon put in drily. “Trip can talk for hours about engines.”

Rene’s eyes danced back to Trip. “Trip? As in Charles Tucker the Third, I’m guessing? Or do you have an unfortunate tendency to ‘trip’ over your own feet.”

“No ma’am,” Trip said. “One or both of my feet are usually in my mouth. My brain-mouth filter is a mite defective.”

“Indeed,” said T’Pol, arching her exquisite eyebrow at her mate.

“Let me show you to your quarters,” Jon said, gesturing for the Amba—Rene, to lead the way. “I’m afraid they are pretty spartan. We’re not really set-up for hosting dignitaries.”

“Please,” Rene snorted inelegantly. “I’ve spent plenty of time on cargo ships from three different planets. If the room has a bed and a bathroom, I’ll be happy.”

Jon laughed as he led their guest to her room, not seeing the glance T’Pol and Trip exchanged as they peeled off to return to their duties. It looked like the captain and his honored guest were going to get along ‘like a house on fire,’ as Trip would have said. Interesting.

“I was hoping you’d join myself and my senior staff for dinner tonight,” Jon offered as they navigated the ship. He found himself inordinately pleased that Rene, who was somewhere around 5’9,” easily matched his long stride.

“I’d love that,” she said. “What time?”

“1800 hours, if that suits you.” At her nod, he continued. “Chef would like to know your preferences and dislikes.”

“I’m pretty vanilla,” she said. “Nothing too exotic, and definitely nothing still living.” She shivered at the thought of some of the ‘food’ that had been set before her over the years. “A good old-fashioned steak sounds good.”

“That we can do,” Jon said, stopping in front of her quarters, and punching in the access code. “Chef is very adept with all kinds of beef. There will be a request from him shortly about other preferences.”

The door slid open and Jon led her inside. It wasn’t fancy, but it was only slightly smaller than his quarters and had the requisite private bathroom. He hoped the bed was comfortable. He did not need a cranky dignitary, although from what he had heard from her own lips, Rene was not the type to complain.

“Home, sweet home, for the next few days, Rene,” he said, gesturing to the small room.

“It’s quite nice, thank you,” Rene said. “It even has a window!” She stepped over and gazed out at the stars. “I understand why people leave their homes behind to be out here. There’s nothing like being in space.”

She turned around and smiled at him. The looked at each other for a moment, the attraction between them shimmering silently.

Jon cleared his throat and broke the silence.

“I’m sure you’d like to rest and unpack. A steward will be here with your items shortly. They will also escort you to the captain’s mess for dinner.”

“Very good,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “Ship tour tomorrow?”

He smiled. “Absolutely. I don’t talk as much as Trip, but I promise to show you every nut and bolt if you’d like.”

She stuck out her hand and they shook.

“Deal. I’ll see you at 1800 hours, Captain.”

He squeezed her hand gently before letting go.

“It’s Jon, and I’ll see you at 1800.”

Rene smiled at the tall, handsome captain as he turned and left her guest quarters. She had a policy about no flings. She couldn’t afford any missteps if she wanted to remain the Ambassador to Andoria, but Jon Archer was a mighty temptation. 

Rene was delighted to see the easy rapport between Jon and his senior officers. Entertaining stories and laughter abounded, and she was frankly shocked to see T’Pol smiling once in a while. Of course, Rene knew that the Vulcan was mated with Trip, but after four years on Vulcan working with the non-defunct High Command, it was still amazing to see a Vulcan so easily showing emotion.

As they sat back, sipping port, Rene shook her head at the assembled officers.

“I don’t know if you all have a penchant for trouble or if this is just what it’s going to be like encountering other species.”

“I imagine it’s a bit of both,” Trip drawled, shooting a look at Jon. “The Captain has never seen a planet he didn’t want to explore or a species he didn’t want to meet.”

“Right back at ya,” Jon said with good humor.

T’Pol turned to Rene.

“They are both incredibly rash when it comes to exploring planets and meeting other species. I believe it is a ‘male’ thing.”

Rene threw her head back and laughed.

“I agree, T’Pol. Boys do have a tendency to get into more trouble.”

Jon and Trip both managed to look indignant until they broke into grins. Jon lifted his glass.

“To new worlds and new civilizations.” They clinked glasses. Jon’s eyes zeroed in on Rene as she took a sip and met his eyes, both of them holding the gaze for a little too long than was polite. It was definitely going to be an interesting journey.

T’Pol moaned softly as her mate’s hands worked out the knots in her lower back. She had never been more grateful to have taught him Vulcan neuropressure. She wasn’t even halfway into her pregnancy and already her back and hips were complaining.

“Ya gotta get up and move around during your shift, Darlin.’ Otherwise the back pain is going to get worse.”

“I am aware of the consequences of remaining stationary for prolonged periods of time,” T’Pol said evenly. “However, there are times when it is not practical to step away.”

“Ya don’t need to step away,” Trip said, working on a particularly tight spot in her lower back. “Just stand up and read your screens. Even if you only do it for a few minutes it will help.”

“I will endeavor to follow Dr. Phlox’s instructions more frequently,” T’Pol answered and breathed out as the pain in her lower back was released. Her eyes fluttered shut. 

T’Pol had been ignorant about what pregnancy entailed. With her mother gone and no other female relative to ask, what she did know came from Dr. Phlox’s medical database. Vulcans did not discuss pregnancy, even among families, until the female was already pregnant. Then the woman in question was given a long list of side effects, possible complications, and restrictions she had to follow until the child was born. In the past this had seemed normal and even logical to T’Pol. There was no reason to have information you had no use for. It had also not ever been a question of whether or not she wanted children. It was her duty to marry and bear at least one child.

It…troubled her that she had not ever stopped to think about what kind of mother she would be. As her mother had noted, even before the Trelium, her time with humans, and her bond with Trip, her emotions had always been close to the surface. So the question was, how much would that impact her motherhood?

Her relationship with her mother had been distant, as were most family relationships on Vulcan. She cared deeply for her mother but had not allowed herself to feel those emotions until her mother lay dying in her arms. Now, knowing all that she did and regretting the distance between her and her mother, even if it was the way her mother wanted it, she was concerned that she would be the same way with this child.

She had no illusions that Trip’s daughter would be able to contain her emotions like a Vulcan. Trip was one big conduit of emotions, and he wore them on his sleeve. She hoped to instill some…filters on their daughter to help her avoid the unfortunate situations Trip frequently caused with his words. Their child would be extremely intelligent, of course, and as long as T’Pol could teach her the value of logic it stood to reason that Elizabeth would have a productive and positive life.

Trip pressed a kiss behind T’Pol’s left ear, warming her heart instantly.

“Where’d ya go?”

“I was contemplating what kind of mother I will be,” T’Pol said, gesturing that she wished to move. She sat up and crossed her legs, facing her mate who mimicked her position. “As you are aware, my mother and I were not close. That is typical for Vulcan families, and yet I regret the distance between us.”

Trip reached out and stroked his two fingers against hers knowing it would help center her.

“You’re going to be a wonderful mother, T’Pol,” Trip said. “I know your whole life has been about logic and suppressing your emotions, but as you’ve taught me, that doesn’t mean you don’t have feelings. I think those feelings are going to come right out the first time you hold Elizabeth.” He paused. “In fact, I’m not concerned that you’ll be distant from her. I’m afraid that you’re going to be uncomfortable with how much you do feel for her.”

T’Pol gazed at her mate, yet again amazed and grateful at how easily he shared his thoughts and feelings. Now that they had become a couple, the bond between them grew stronger ever day. It made her journey through uncharted emotional waters so much easier.

She grasped his hand and started stroking her fingers up and down the inside of his wrist knowing that it was a sensitive spot for him.

“I think you are correct,” she said, softly. “I will be overwhelmed with emotion at the arrival of our daughter. My concern is that I will refute those feelings with traditional Vulcan parenting.”

Trip caught her hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on each knuckle.

“I’m not gonna let that happen, Darlin.’ I understand why you’re thinking about it, but I’ve got ya, okay? You and Elizabeth are going to be great together, and I am going to be the happiest man in the whole universe.”

She arched a brow at him.

“The universe encompasses trillions of sentient life forms, Trip. That is a rather grandiose statement, even for you.”

He grinned at her, pulling her to her feet and into his arms. He lowered his head to brush his lips against hers, and upon her response, deepened the kiss until they were both breathing hard.

“How about you come to bed, and I show you just how happy you make me?”

T’Pol smiled.

“That is an excellent suggestion, Commander. I anticipate that you will be very persuasive."

“Damned straight," he said, surprising her by scooping her up into his arms and striding towards their bed. Anyone watching would have been gob-smacked to hear T’Pols soft laughter.


	2. Possibilities?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things warm up between Archer and Rene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had written a couple of more chapters of this and then stopped as I wasn't pleased with them. I'm still not entirely happy, but I'm going to post this one and see how it goes. Sometimes it's good to put work out there and let it exist.

Jon had anticipated that Rene would be intelligent. You didn’t get a masters degree from Stanford otherwise. He was surprised at how knowledgeable she seemed about…everything. She had talking easily with Hoshi about the algorithims that powered the universal translator, then had another educated discussion with Malcolm about the newest torpedoes his Armory officer was eager to try.

Jon then guided them to sickbay, the two of them talking easily about their love of San Francisco and the surrounding areas that were excellent for rock climbing.

“I’m surprised we never bumped into each other on the slopes,” Jon said as the sickbay doors slid open. “It was one of my favorite ways to blow off steam, so I was up there quite a bit.”

“I am kind of surprised, too,” she said, even as she gazed around the room. “I’m pretty sure I’d remember if we’d met, though,” she said, and winked at him before turning to Dr. Phlox who was hurrying over to them.

Did she just flirt with me? Jon thought, only half listening as Dr. Phlox and Rene introduced themselves. It’s been too damned long since I did this dance. It’s obvious there’s an attraction between us, but was Rene thinking of taking it to the next level? A nervous swirl expanded in his stomach at the thought. How many days did they have before they reached Andoria? Maybe he could stretch that out a bit.

He watched, amused, as Phlox showed off all his toys in sickbay. It wasn’t until he started introducing his various ‘pets’ that Jon got a little worried. Phlox was animated at the worst of times. In his element like this, he practically glowed, especially when Rene responded so positively to his menagerie which led to him throwing caution to the wind. Phlox kept handing her one creature or another, even one that Jon was sure was poisonous to humans, and that did not please him at all.

Phlox glanced up and saw the thunderous expression on his Captain’s face.

“The snake is quite docile, Captain. He’s well fed and used to being handled.”

“Nevertheless, doctor,” Jon warned. “It would not be good to have the Ambassador bitten by a black mamba while onboard the Enterprise.”

Phlox’s eyebrows shot up.

“Captain! I am delighted that you know what species of snake this is. I had no idea you actually listened when I told you several months ago that I was bringing it on board.”

“I remember,” Jonathan said, stepping closer to Rene who was clearly not afraid of the large black snake coiling around her arm. “That you said it had a foolproof enclosure so that we never had to worry about it escaping.”

“And that has proven true,” the doctor chirped happily, taking back the snake and gently placing it in its large habitat.

Jon breathed out with relief once the snake was out of Rene’s hands. He knew Phlox had the antidote to the snake’s venom, but he didn’t want Rene hurt or sick. He had told Phlox it was about her being an ambassador, but in reality he found himself already very fond of this extraordinary woman.

“I wish I could show you my bat,” Phlox began.

“NO!” Jon said. “Absolutely not. It took hours to catch it the last time it got out.”

“As you say,” Phlox said but he looked at Rene. “She is an extraordinary creature but very difficult to handle. I am hoping to create an aviary for her in part of one of the cargo holds. Commander Tucker assures me that could build one to my specifications.”

Jon pinched his nose with this thumb and finger and reminded himself to dress down Trip. Just because the engineer could build anything anyone wanted didn’t mean that he should.

“Thank you, Dr. Phlox, for your wonderful tour of sickbay. It’s easy to see that the crew of Enterprise has the best of doctors,” Rene said.

Phlox beamed and shook her hand.

“My pleasure, Ambassador. If you would like to revisit sickbay you are welcome at any time.”

“I will keep that in mind,” she promised and turned to Jon. “Engineering?”

“Lunch,” he said. “Chef has promised to knock your socks off with his club salad and freshly baked bread.”

“Mmm, sounds good,” Rene said. 

They leisurely made their way to Jon’s dining room, by way of the bridge so he could check on the status of things. Once they were seated and the food brought in, Rene took a sip of the iced tea that had been placed before her.

“Trip says you have iced tea at every meal,” she said, putting down the glass. “My mother is the same, except it has to be sun tea. No brewing it with hot water.”

Jon nodded.

“I agree with your mother, but unfortunately I have to make due with what we have.” He paused. “You know, I don’t know the last time I had sun tea.” He took a sip and then snapped his fingers. “At Trip’s parent’s house. His mother sets out several jugs a day. They drink it like people drink coffee.”

Rene made a face.

“Coffee is disgusting.”

Jon laughed and they fell to their meals in companionable silence broken once in a while by a random comment. Rene felt comfortable with Jon in a way she had rarely felt with others. It was tiring to be the most intelligent person in the room. It was tiring to explain to family and friends that while she did want a husband and children one day, her career was her focus right now. Clearly, Jon was on the same path. There was no doubt he would be an admiral some day, perhaps even become a high-ranking politician. Jonathan Archer was definitely going to continue to go places, literally and figuratively.

When they finished and headed to engineering, Jon side-eyed her.

“You sure you’re ready for Commander Tucker? He’s probably had his crew spit-shining everything all morning. He’s going to talk your ear off.”

She grinned at him.

“Do you think he would mind if I recorded him? My brother is going to want details I won’t even understand.”

Jon pressed the button to open the doors to engineering.

“He’ll make the recording and send it to your brother personally if you want,” Jon said. “He’ll even annotate it.”

Rene laughed just as Trip called out his hello, striding towards them with a smile on his handsome face. Beside her she heard Jon groan. She shot him a mischievous look.

“You can always come back for me,” she said. “I’m sure I’m in good hands with Trip. You’re probably tired of playing tour guide and making small talk.”

Jon arched an eyebrow at her, very aware of just how handsome and charming his chief engineer was, mated or not.

“Not a chance,” Jon said. “Someone has to be here to put the brakes on him.”

Rene’s eye brown quirked back.

“Suit yourself.” She turned to Trip. “Okay, Trip, show me what makes Enterprise the best ship in the fleet.”

Rene turned this way and that, assessing herself in the mirror. So far she had been dressing as the pleasant, open-minded diplomat; nothing low-cut, tight, or too-short. Tonight was different. Commander Tucker had made his apologies to her and Jon at the end of her engineering tour. Apparently, Commander T’Pol was suffering from morning sickness all day, and Commander Tucker had an urgent issue in engineering that he needed to take care of right away.

So, it was just her and Jon for dinner. They had carefully not looked at each as Trip made his excuses. After another quick stop on the bridge (Jon had insisted she sit in his chair. It made her all tingly inside. She couldn’t imagine being the captain of such a powerful ship.) he had then escorted her to her quarters and enquired if she was up to dinner tonight. She had said yes immediately. In hindsight, maybe too quickly, but that was water under the bridge now. It wasn’t like she hadn’t given him a hint with the wink in sickbay.

She eyed the outfit. The sleeveless dark green dress followed her curves and hinted more than showed her décolleté. The skirt hit 2 inches above the knee and her black pumps were a reasonable 4 inches high. Well, they were a bit high for a starship, but it was them or a sensible pump and she was not doing that to this dress. Her hair was down and wavy and she had added a smoky eye to her makeup. Pleased with her results she had just turned to check the time when the doorbell chimed. The steward was right on time.


End file.
